Electrically-heated cushion and the like



March 17, 1925.

1,530,216 v. G. STEER ET AL ELECTRICAL 1L! HEATED CUSHION AND THE LIKEFiled Oct. 8, 1923 F/G. 6 Victor Gladstone Steer Frank MoLennan LennardINVENTOR;

their Attorney Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,530,216 PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR GLADSTONE STEEB, 'OF KILLARA, NEAR SYDNE Y, AND FRANK.M'LENNANLENNARD, OF DARLINGHURST, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

ELECTRICALLY-HEATED CUSHION AND THE LIKE.

Application filed October 8, 1923.

To all whom'z't may concern:

7 Be it known that Vrc'rou Gnans'roxr. STEER and FRANK MCLENNAN.LENNARD, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, 6 residing,respectively, at Stanhope Road,

Killara, near Sydney, New South \Vales,

Commonwealth of Australia, and 121 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydneyaforesaid,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectrically-Heated Cushions and the like, of which the following is aspecification. This invention .relates to cushions, quilts, Vcounterpanes, pillows, eiderdowns, and like 5 articles which haveassociated with them an electric heating element adapted to be connectedto a current source of supply.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heating element framehaving electric lead wires attached thereto; Fig. 2 a detail sectionalview of such element with an outer cover thereon; Fig. 3 across-section; Fig. 4 a view illustrating details of theheating-element; Fig. '5 detail views'of parts of the heating element;and Fig. 6 a perspective -view of a connector.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a. frame of felt 1 or othersuitable material is provided; this frame is constructed with a seriesof open-ended pockets 2 arranged side by :side. The said pockets-2 maybe formed by stitching. the felt 1 or other material at suitablepositions, say by lines of stitches 3. l I

When said pockets 2 have been .formed they have threaded therein anelectric heating element 4 which consists of a base. of asbestos or likecord6 with which is associated an electric conductive wire 7 of highresistance, a protective cord of asbestos 8 or the like being wound onthe resistance "wire 7-and the base cord 6. Said heating element 4 isfirst threaded into the first of the said. pockets 2 leaving one freeend of the said element protrudingtherefrom; the said element 4 is thenthreaded successively through each of the other pockets 2 and isreturned through said latter pockets, so that eventually the oppositefree end of the element 4 is allowed to protrude from the. first of-saidpockets. Aeontinuous length of element 4 is thus carried b the saidframe 1- with the opposite of the said ele- Serial No. 667,107.

ment projectin frame; prefera ly there is a piece of felt 5 or the likesituated between the overlying layers of the element 4 in the pockets 2,and an opening 9 is provided in said piece of felt 5 to enable theelement 4 to be passed thercthrough to permit -its returnthrough theseries of pockets 2 to the first pocket.

Insulated lead wires 10 from any convenient source of electric currentsupply are connected to the resistance wire 7 of the heatin from oneendof the said resistance wire around one. of said separated ends, thencoiling the other separated end of the lead wire 10 around the alreadycoiled joint of the high resistance wire 7 and one separated'end of thelead wires 10, and

finally welding the coiled joints of wires 7 and 10 to each other (seeFig. 5).

A metal connector 11 preferably of U-shape and'consisting of copper isutilized for the purpose of securing the opposite ends of the element 4to the insulated lead wires 10. The said connector 11 is placed aboutthe opposite ends of the element 4, and after the jointed ends of thelead wires 10 and the resistance wire 7 have been placed therein, andpart of the asbestos cord 8 or the like of the element 4 has preferablybeen tucked over the joint connection between the said lead wires .10and the said resistance wire 7 of the element 4, said U-connector isclamped about the joined ends of the element 4 and the lead wires 10 tomake. a secure joint.

For the purpose of enclosing the said felt or like frame 1 and the feltpiece 5 a casing 12 of felt or other suitable material is provided; oneend of said casing is left open in manufacture. Before the'fra ne 1 hasbeen inserted within'said casing 12 the oppositev ends of the element 4are secured to said frame 1 by stitching 13 or otherwise, preferably bystitching at points on opo'sitesides of the element 4 at which theU-conncctors 11 are situated. The lead wires 10 are. then suitablytwisted or knotted to each other as at 14, and the knot or the like isinserted within the said casing 12, whereupon the open end'of the saidcasing is closed by stitching or otherwise with the said knot or thelike on the interior of the casing. It is preferred to construct theframe 1 and felt 5 of sufiicient length and width whereby a clear spacewill be left at the edges to enable the frame 1, and felt 5 to befinallysecured to each other by stitching 15. The fastening of theelement 4 to the frame 1 after the U-connectors have been clamped to thesaid element and lead wires 10, and the subsequent closing of the openend of the casing 12 with the knot or the like 14 on the lead wires 10within the casing 12 ensure a secure joint connection for the lead wires10 and the resistance wire 7 of the element 4.

, The frame 1 with the element 4 therein and the casing 12 therefor maybe enclosed within a flannel or any other suitable outer cover 16whereby a cushion, pillow, quilt,

or other like article may be. provided adapt-i I 7 ed to be heatedelectrically when current is, supplied to the high resistance wire 7 ofthe.

element 4.

What we claim'as our invention and de sire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In an electric heating pad of the character described, thecombination of outer flexible sheets, an intermediate sheet having acommunicating opening therethrough, and a heating element comprising acontinuous strand of wire bent to form loops and hav-' ing one of saidloops disposed at right angles to the others and projecting through saidopening in the intermediate sheet.

2. An electric heating pad, as claimed in claim 1 in which saidintermediate and outer sheets are stitched together along parallel linesintermediate said loops, whereby pockets are formed to enclose parallelportions of said heating element.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

VICTOR GLADSTONE STEER. FRANK McLENNAN LENNARD.

Witnesses:

W. J. DANE, P. CUMMIINS.

